TOPIC:

The Guedes Model 1885 was a single shot 8mm rifle, manufactured by OEWG Steyr in Austria initially for Portugal; a domestic design by Lt. Luis Guedes Diaz (later General) of the Portuguese army. However, despite 40,000 being ordered, the contract was cancelled and Portugal did not take delivery of the few made (anywhere between 8 and 11,000 depending upon the source) and 7505 were subsequently bought by the ZAR in 1893. A tipping-block action, similar to a Martini, it had advantages of smaller bore (and lighter ammunition), being much easier to strip and clean, although all examples I’ve seen have truly awful triggers! Properly pronounced Gwedesh, it was popularly known as the Giddy rifle. Whilst a perfectly good rifle, it tended to be issued to old man and youths in lieu of Mausers.

Although the OVS did not buy any Guedes rifles themselves, they were given 1400 by the ZAR. This example does not have the ZAR ownership stamp, which was generally (but not always: plenty of exceptions to marking are known) applied to official arms; nor does it have the OVS stamp; the OVS were considerably more punctilious in marking their official rifles.

Although interesting in the history of arms during the Boer War, this particular rifle is particularly apposite insofar as it is, as with many Boer rifles, named. In this case: R J Pretoruus (note the spelling) carved into the forend. The spelling did confuse at first, but it was clearly meant to be Pretorius rather than Pretoruus, but with help, it became narrowed down to one of four:

1). Roelof Johannes Pretorius. Served: Smithfield Cdo. OVS
2) Rudolf Jacobus Pretorius. Served: Lydenburg Cdo. ZAR
He applied for his Anglo-Boere Oorlogsmdalje in 1923, having served as a burgher in the very famous Heidelberg and Lydenburg commandos, joining on the 1 October 1899 and serving until 31 May 1902 (i.e. the whole duration – a true bittereinder).
He participated in the invasion of the Natal and was at the battles of Estcourt (Willow Grange), Tugela (Colenso) and Spioenkop in Natal, and Dalmanutha (Bergendal), Helvetia, and other engagements in the Transvaal.
3) Roelof Jacobus Pretorius. Born 4.1.1872, resident in 1899 in Wilgerivier, Pretoria. ZAR. He was a bittereinder and never captured. Also being both mature he is more likely to have been given a Mauser and his rifle, one assumes, was also never captured.
4) Rudolph Johannes Pretorius. PoW Number: 6243 age: 34 of Leeuwkop in the Senekal district, (OVS), captured at Paardeberg 27/02/1900

So it would seem we have two ZAR burghers and two OVS burghers. The last two of mature age are more likely to have been issued with Mauser rifles than Guedes rifles. Taking the view that number 2: Rudolf Jacobus Pretorius, was also a more mature burgher and served with the prestigious Heidelberg and Lydenburg commandos, we can assume also that he is more likely to have carried a Mauser rifles than a Guedes.

These are based upon claims for the Anglo-Boere Oorlogsmdalje (in the Boer war medal roll), service record (Vorm and the Dead & PoW database.

This leaves us with the first one: Roelof Johannes Pretorius who applied for his Anglo-Boere Oorlogsmdalje very late in 1945. He served as a burgher in the Smithfield (OVS) and Edenburg (OVS) commandos, joining on the 17 October 1899 and served until 24th December 1901 when he was sent to India as a PoW. In service, he participated in the invasion of the Cape and was at the battles of Stormberg and Colesburg in the Cape, and other engagements in the Orange Free State.

In the POW records, he is named Johannes Roelof Pretorius and it is recorded that he was aged only 16 when captured at Vlakfontein on 24 Dec 1901, although there are no other PoW details apart from his address which was the farm Pandam in the Bethulie district (near Smithfield) OVS. Upon application for the medal, he signs as R J Pretorius

The concentration camp records show 11 women and children from the farm Pandam were interned. Among them were two boys Hendrik and Daniel Pretorius who were likely Roelof’s brothers. Daniel died in the Bethulie concentration camp of enteric fever aged 14, Hendrik survived. Three other children from this farm also died of disease in the Bethulie concentration camp.

There are some reasons to suppose this boy was the owner of this Guedes:-

1. He was only 14 when the war began and it is unlikely he would have been given a Mauser – boys often carried Guedes or Martinis.
2. His misspelling of his surname indicates poverty, youth or interrupted schooling – all of which he had.
3. This Guedes was captured, so it would fit with the boy’s capture
4. The other contender, number two on the list: Rudolf Jacobus Pretorius was from an elite commando and it is unlikely he would not have had a Mauser. Moreover he was never captured

My thanks to Rob Davidson, Ron Bester (excellent books on Boer War firearms), Dave George (Carvings from the Veldt) and Dewald Nel (Medal records) for their considerable help with this.

Pic of the carved rifle f/ned